By applying the 4 key components of transformational leadership, hospitality leaders can enhance employee satisfaction, drive team performance, and elevate the guest experience.

The hospitality industry thrives on exceptional service and memorable guest experiences. To meet the evolving expectations of today’s guests, leaders must inspire their teams to embrace innovation, deliver personalized service, and stay motivated in dynamic environments. Transformational leadership is an ideal management style for fostering this type of growth and excellence. It is based on four key components, also known as the four “I”s:

Intellectual stimulation
Individualized consideration
Inspirational motivation
Idealized influence

By applying these principles, hospitality leaders can enhance employee satisfaction, drive team performance, and elevate the guest experience. Here’s a closer look at what each of these “I”s means for transformational leadership in hospitality.

The 4 key components of transformational leadership in hospitality

1. Intellectual stimulation: encouraging innovation and creativity

In hospitality, where delivering unique and personalized guest experiences is vital, intellectual stimulation plays a critical role. Transformational leaders encourage their teams to think creatively and come up with innovative solutions to enhance service and operations. Whether it’s finding new ways to improve guest satisfaction, streamline check-in processes, or personalize amenities, intellectual stimulation empowers employees to contribute to the organization’s success.

A hotel manager might involve their staff in decision-making when implementing new guest services, such as introducing tech-driven solutions like virtual concierge systems. By soliciting ideas from all levels of the team, leaders foster an environment that values creativity, resulting in services that set the property apart from competitors.

2. Individualized consideration: valuing each and every team member

The hospitality industry is built on people, both employees and guests. Transformational leaders understand the importance of building strong relationships with their team members by providing individualized support and recognizing each person’s unique strengths and needs. This component involves giving employees the attention they need to develop their skills and excel in their roles, while also acknowledging their achievements and contributions.

By focusing on individualized consideration, a hospitality leader creates a supportive environment where team members feel valued. If a restaurant’s chef is recognized for their creative contributions to the menu, this acknowledgement not only motivates them but also fosters a sense of ownership over their work. Leaders who make the effort to provide personalized feedback and support see higher employee satisfaction and retention rates, which translates to better guest interactions and service.

3. Inspirational motivation: setting a vision and uniting the team

Transformational leaders in hospitality must communicate a compelling vision that unites their team and motivates them to strive for excellence. This vision often revolves around the guest experience and creating moments that leave lasting impressions on guests. Inspirational motivation involves more than just setting goals; it’s about helping employees understand how their work contributes to the bigger picture and inspiring them to take pride in their roles.

A spa manager, for example, might share the goal of achieving a high guest satisfaction rating with the entire team. By clearly outlining the steps needed to reach this goal, whether through personalized guest interactions or attention to detail in services, the leader motivates employees to work toward a shared vision. This sense of purpose energizes the team, leading to improved performance and an elevated guest experience.

4. Idealized influence: leading by example

In hospitality, leadership is not only about managing operations but also about inspiring trust and respect among employees. Transformational leaders serve as role models for their teams by demonstrating the behaviors and attitudes they expect from others. This concept, known as idealized influence, is about leading with integrity, accountability, and enthusiasm.

Leaders who embody the principles of idealized influence inspire their teams to follow their example. A manager who consistently goes above and beyond to ensure guest satisfaction sets a standard for the rest of the team to emulate. By demonstrating excellent communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and a guest-first attitude, leaders can inspire their staff to deliver the same level of service.

The power to have significant impact

Transformational leadership has the power to significantly impact the hospitality industry by fostering innovation, empowering employees, and driving exceptional guest experiences. Through intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, inspirational motivation, and idealized influence, hospitality leaders can create a positive and dynamic work environment where both employees and guests thrive. By applying these principles, leaders improve team performance and build stronger, more memorable guest relationships, setting their business apart in an increasingly competitive market.

Spa Executive is published by Book4Time, the leader in guest management, revenue and mobile solutions for the most exclusive spas, hotels, and resorts around the globe. Learn more at book4time.com.

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Wondering why employees are leaving? Take a look at these three common reasons spa employees quit  and what to do about them.

Staffing is an ongoing issue in hospitality and spa, more so now than ever. People are leaving their jobs and looking for other lines of work. Or they’re stepping away to work for themselves and start their own businesses.

According to the BBC, UK, industry bodies say one in five workers has left the sector during the coronavirus pandemic, and separate reports suggest that hotels and resorts everywhere are dealing with a similar situation.

Omni Hotels & Resorts President Peter Strebel reportedly said that, for the first time in his career, he can’t sell out hotels because there isn’t enough staff to meet demand. Strebel said Omni has tried sign-on bonuses, retention bonuses, and more paid time off to attract and keep employees.

In Ottawa, the company raised housekeeper wages from $14 to $20 per hour – and Strebel said, “We filled all our positions.”

Obviously, one of the easiest ways to fix this issue is to pay people more. There are other factors to consider as well.

Once you manage to hire someone, you want to keep them. Recruiting and onboarding is expensive and constant turnover has a negative impact on operations. While the pandemic has demonstrated that we can’t predict the future, we can still take measures to retain team members and safeguard against employee attrition.

Here are three common reasons spa employees quit and what you can do about them.

Lack of advancement opportunities

A lack of advancement opportunities consistently ranks across all industries as the top reason employees quit their jobs, even before money.

A 2020 CareerAddict survey and a 2017 Gallup survey found that lack of advancement opportunities was the top reason people quit their jobs, beating out pay in both cases. Regardless of job or sector, people get tired of doing the same thing day in and day out with no future growth opportunities. No matter how enthusiastic someone is about the company or job when they join a team, the novelty will eventually wear off. They will become demoralized and demotivated, which negatively impacts their performance and your success.

In any company, however, there are only so many management positions. What can you do? Some options include implementing performance-based pay incentives (beyond commissions), and involving your team in the decision making process.

A Forbes article titled “3 Ways To Keep Employees Motivated When A Promotion Isn’t An Option And A Raise Isn’t In The Budget” suggests empowering employees with exposure to executive responsibilities:

“Raise the bar by giving them more responsibility and challenging tasks that are still achievable with their skillset. Start by giving them more control over tasks and take a step back allowing them a chance to derive their own solutions and make their own decisions.

“While the upper management is the one to implement processes, the employees are the one in the trenches feeling the impact of their decisions.”

This might mean involving people in creating new treatment menu items and marketing campaigns, for example.

Burnout

Burnout is a long-standing issue in the spa industry and it happens when employees are worked too hard.

In a 2019 interview with Spa Executive , Sonal Uberoi addressed this issue and said,  “[Burnout] becomes more evident in spas within hotels and resorts where staff scheduling is heavily dependent on hotel occupancy. Spa staff suddenly find that their days off have been pushed back, so they have to work seven or eight days in a row — or more! — and management have to be at the hotel from morning to when the VIP client leaves his or her treatment at the end of the day, which can mean a 10-12 hour shift. These small ‘one offs’ slowly become the norm, which over time eventually lead to burnout.”

And this may be more of an issue two years later. We recently spoke to Benjamin Donat at St. Regis Deer Valley, who said he’s been understaffed through the 2021 season. Donat said, “This affects both the guests and the existing team; guests because sometimes they need a wellness or spa experience, and we can’t provide it at the time they want because we’re overbooked, and staff because I have to be careful not to overwork them and cause burnout.”

Combatting burnout can take some doing but it’s something spa directors should take seriously, because what might seem profitable in the short term will cost you in the long term, when employees are not at their best and when they quit.

Ways of combatting burnout include creating wellness programs for staff and making staff wellbeing a priority, which might mean accepting fewer appointments in a day. Revisiting staff schedules can also be helpful. There are tools to help with this, including software to optimize staff scheduling.

Bad management

A recent survey of workers across sectors reportedly found that most people are pretty happy with their managers, but of those who rated their managers badly, 63% were planning to quit in the next 12 months and 70% said their team members were also planning to move out of the team or company.

It would be easy to argue that employee attrition comes down to bad management more often than not, however, because so many other cited reasons are actually due to bad management, including the aforementioned burnout.

Gallup found that only 17% of people cite bad management as a reason for quitting, but also noted that almost every other reason on the list was something that management could influence. Among these factors are company culture, pay and benefits, flexibility and scheduling, and job security. These are all things that are governed, at least in part, by management who should be doing their best to create great work environments.

How can we be great managers? By constantly working to do better.

Some things great leaders do include:

• Listening: The ability to listen is what makes the difference between bad leaders and great leaders.
• Being supportive: Working in a spa can be physically taxing and tiring – and repetitive. A team needs a supportive manager who has their backs.
• Leading by example: Take responsibility for your failures as well as your successes, and inspire your team to go above and beyond the call of duty by doing so yourself.
• Effectively communicating goals: Set goals, communicate them to your team, and outline the tactics for achieving them. When employees feel that they are instrumental to the success of an organization, they are more inclined to work towards achieving it.
• Being open to feedback and suggestions: You are not infallible and you might sometimes be wrong, or have ideas that could use improvement.

Employee retention takes work. But the work is worth it and will have big benefits.

Is finding and retaining talent a challenge at your spa? Get insights from industry leaders, including Nigel Franklyn, Lynne McNees, Verena Lasvigne-Fox, and Daisy Tepper when you download our report: What will it take to fix the spa industry’s staffing shortage? .

Spa Executive is published by Book4Time, the leader in guest management, revenue and mobile solutions for the most exclusive spas, hotels, and resorts around the globe. Learn more at book4time.com.

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Looking for presents for your team members? Give these priceless gifts that cost nothing this holiday season.

Not everyone celebrates, but the holidays are in the air in many parts of the world.

If you’re looking for some great gifts to give your valued team members, there are a few that are readily available, that will cost you nothing, and that are priceless in value. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also give something material, if you want to. Go ahead and splurge. They deserve it.

But consider also consider offering these priceless gifts that cost nothing to your spa and wellness team, if you aren’t already.

Gratitude

It costs nothing to say thank you, and means everything. So many employees, no matter what the sector, feel unappreciated by their manager. And too many bosses, also no matter what the sector, live by the “no news is good news” rule, only providing feedback when something is wrong. When all is well, they can’t be bothered to say anything. Don’t be that employer. Especially in a sector that asks so much from team members, whose job it is to provide support, often both physical and emotional, day in and day out, to spa customers, and who often suffer from burnout. The holidays are a time to remember your gratitude. Say a verbal “thank you” to each of your team members, or write a note.

Your trust

In our spotlight interview this month, Andrew Gibson of Sensei and the Wellness Tourism Association said many insightful and interesting things. And one of those was, “Perhaps the most difficult part of being a leader is learning to let go.”

He went on to explain, “You appoint people, give them a clear vision and achievable goals and support them towards those goals. Every member of the team should have goals or clear objectives. And then you have to trust them and let them lead. And you have to accept when doing that, that they will do things differently from you, and even make mistakes. If you want to build a great team that is successful and enjoys what they’re doing, you have to accept that some things are not going to go quite the way you want or expect them to go.”

Giving your team members your trust and confidence will go a long way towards building the team you need to be successful. It will also be gratefully received – nobody likes to be micromanaged – and improve your relationships. Plus, once you let go and give people your trust, the burden of all that responsibility is lifted from your shoulders. So, giving someone your trust is also a gift to yourself.

Time

Yes, you’re busy (possibly even overwhelmed and burning out), but it’s important to take time to be with the people on your team and focus on them. Have a conversation about their lives and goals and show an interest in who they are and how they are enjoying their work life.

This does not necessarily mean a group outing, lunch, etc. In fact, some people regard work gatherings as a burden rather than a joy around this time of year. They have friends and family they barely have time to see, and now they have to take time out of their day to spend even more time with the same people they see every single day. It’s not everyone’s idea of a good time. On the other hand, your team might love a work get together. Only you truly know. Do what will make people happiest, but do spend some time.

Help

Shane Bird of Turning Stone once told us that the key to managing a successful team is “being willing as a manager or director to do everything, and to really get in the trenches. To be able to get in there and work with someone, whether it’s at the front desk or collecting towels, and to do whatever they are doing. You cannot stay in an office. Your team has to see you engaging the guests in the way you want the guests engaged.”

This not only serves to set an example and motivate team members, it demonstrates that their work is valuable and important. Stepping in and helping your employees with their tasks helps them get through the day, makes their life easier, and creates a camaraderie and bond that you won’t have otherwise.

Ideally, managers should be giving these gifts all year round. But the holidays are as good a time to start as any. These gifts will benefit you, your team members, and your business.

Happy holidays.

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Spa Executive magazine is published by Book4Time, the world’s most innovative spa, salon, wellness, and activity management software. Learn more at Book4Time.com.

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